The acid used to attack a 17-year-old girl in Delhi on Wednesday was bought by the main accused person on e-commerce platform Flipkart, The Indian Express reported on Thursday, citing the police.
The attack took place at the Mohan Garden area of Dwarka More around 7.30 am, following which the girl was taken to the city’s Safdarjung Hospital.
The girl remains in the burns Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, PTI reported on Thursday.
“The patient is conscious, well oriented and afebrile [free from fever]” a senior doctor at the news agency told PTI. “She has suffered 8% chemical burns on the face. Eyes have also been affected. Treatment is on. Ophthalmologists are also providing conservative and supportive treatment.”
The police have arrested the main accused person, 20-year-old Sachin Arora, and his friends 19-year-old Harshit Aggarwal and 22-year-old Virender Singh.
In 2013, the Supreme Court had directed states and the Centre to regulate the sale of acid to stop such attacks, especially against women. The court had said that those buying acid will have explain why they need the chemical. The order had also directed that sales of acid will have to be reported to the police.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said Harshit Singh was on a motorcycle with Arora when the girl was attacked. He said that the police have recovered a motorcycle and a phone, adding that Virender Singh is also involved in conspiracy behind the attack.
Hooda also said that Arora and the girl knew each other but around September, she had stopped talking to him.
“He was enraged and planned this [attack],” the officer said, reported The Indian Express. “Virender tried to mislead police and create a false alibi for Sachin. He wore similar clothes, took Sachin’s phone, and stood with a bike at another spot. The acid-like substance will undergo chemical examination.”
However, the girl’s father has said that he does not know the attackers or whether harassment was involved in the case.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Harsha Vardhan said the accused men had started planning the attack a few days ago. “We are not sure of the nature of the acid,” he said. “Prima facie, it’s nitric acid that was used.”
A case has been registered under Sections 326A (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, Vardhan added.
The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to the special secretary of the Delhi government’s home department, seeking a report on the retail sale of acid and action taken against the shop or seller of the acid.
The panel on Wednesday also issued a notice to the police seeking a copy of the first information report registered in the case. It has asked the police to state whether the girl had made any complaints about threats to her in the past.
The commission also issued notices to e-commerce firms Amazon and Flipkart, asking them to explain why acid is available on their platforms. “The easy availability of acid on online platforms is a matter of grave concern and needs to be checked urgently,” the notices said.
The commission directed the e-commerce firms to provide details of the sellers who placed acid as a product on the platforms.
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